Biden Declares Major Natural Disaster In Puerto Rico Due To Hurricane Fiona

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2022) US President Joe Biden has declared a major natural disaster in Puerto Rico due to hurricane Fiona, the White House said.

Hurricane Fiona swept Puerto Rico on Sunday, causing a power outage across the entire territory of the island. The hurricane was accompanied by record rainfall with up to 1,000 millimetres (39.37 inches) of precipitation in some regions.

Biden has promised a major boost of federal aid to the Caribbean island.

"President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and ordered Federal aid to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Fiona beginning on September 17, 2022, and continuing," the president's administration said in a statement.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, four people died and some 3.2 million were left without potable water as a result of the disaster.